Laurie Metcalf’s Jackie on “The Conners” finally has the marriage to a stable guy who adores her. But there is one man from her past that, if he returned to Lanford, could pose a serious threat to her happily ever after. That man is her former boss and boyfriend Booker Brooks played in 1988 by a then little-known actor named George Clooney.
“Neville would be absolutely furious to see an old boyfriend [of Jackie’s] who looks like that,” showrunner Bruce Helford tells TheWrap. “He’s an insecure guy to begin with.”
On Wednesday night’s episode of “The Conners,” Jackie’s moral fortitude is put to the test when Becky takes a spill at The Lunchbox, and Neville points out that what she is doing is wrong. (Check out the exclusive clip at the top.) As far as significant others go, Neville has been rock-solid. But as fans of the OG “Roseanne” remember from its first season, Booker was swoon-worthy — I mean, George Clooney and those laughing eyes of his, folks! – and their chemistry was off the charts.
So, is a cameo appearance of the now two-time Oscar winner within the realm of possibility?
“The thing with George, we’ve always been so close. I’ve known George for all these years, even though he wasn’t on ‘Roseanne’ the year that I ran it. Back in the day, he and I did a pilot together, and we’ve been friends. And he’s very close with Laurie and everybody else,” Helford said.
It goes without saying that Clooney’s star has risen considerably since his 1988 appearance on “Roseanne” and, well, the guy is consistently busy with other projects. It was just announced that he will direct and executive produce a political thriller series for Showtime called “The Department,” and he will star in an untitled Apple Original Films thriller alongside Brad Pitt as two fixers who prefer to work alone but find themselves assigned to the same job.
A number of years after Clooney’s recurring stint on “Roseanne” and at the height of his popularity on “ER,” Helford asked him to make an appearance on another sitcom he had created.
“I asked him to come on to ‘The Drew Carey Show’ as a cameo, and he said, ‘You know, if I say yes to you, I gotta say yes to a thousand other friends who will ask me. And that’s just not fair to everybody,’” Helford recalled. “I would not give up on it ever happening because the affinity he has for John [Goodman], for Laurie [Metcalf], for Sara [Gilbert], that’s very strong. And it might more be a matter of timing.”
“But I can tell you this — we haven’t stopped asking him,” Helford said. “I’m sure he reads TheWrap, so here it is – the door is open, George.”
Here’s a look back at Jackie and Booker’s flirtation on “Roseanne” that has Clooney fans begging to be revisited:
